During flight it is incumbent upon the pilot or flight dispatch (or flight following ground service) to keep track of information pertinent to the flight including, for example, weather at destination airport and weather to be encountered en route to the destination airport, destination airport conditions, aircraft performance, temporary flight restrictions, fuel availability, conditions at and availability of alternate airports in the vicinity of the destination and/or of the flight path. During the flight, workload may prevent the pilot from keeping track of current weather and other conditions/events (such as the above) that affect the flight. For example, if weather at the destination drops below certain ILS (Instrument landing system) minimum levels, the pilot and/or dispatch must determine a useable achievable alternate airport within a short period of time, or in some cases with no notice. Similarly, if a NOTAM (Notices To Airmen) is issued indicating the destination airport as being closed, the pilot and/or flight dispatch have little or no time to determine an alternate useable airport.
Further, determining an alternate airport suitable for rerouting is not a trivial task. It involves gathering and processing a great deal of information which, on present flight decks, is scattered in various locations on the flight deck and/or obtained from multiple communications with the ATC (Air Traffic Control) and/or dispatch. For example, it may be necessary to verify whether the alternate airport is open, has acceptable weather conditions, is ILS operative, has customs facility available, etc. Due to the complexities of choosing an alternate airport, it may be a best guess as to which alternate airport to choose.
Regulatory agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and EuroControl are starting to consider Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) concept amongst flight dispatch, pilot, and air traffic control. However, as mentioned above, present day flight decks scatter in many places the information which the pilots need to evaluate, understand, and participate in such a collaborative environment.
As such, there is a need for a system that monitors and evaluates events that impede normal and/or safe flight operation and determines solutions to avoid encountering such impeding events, such that the pilot, the ATC and/or the flight dispatch workload in determining the solutions is minimized.